67. Off the Script

The Christmas air brought forth rejuvenation to Harry. Since he awoke, a simple smile had formed and merely grew stronger. Today he would not concern himself with Tom, rumors, and the like.

This morning he had been greeted by his friends and they had opened gifts together. Once again the Weasleys had been kind enough to include him in the gift giving. No matter how many times it happened, Harry always felt a sense of overabundant warmth from the gesture. He swore to find a means of repaying them that the they would accept.

Harry had taken his leave as the others dispersed to relish in their new gifts. It was an opportune moment to present Teleute with his own gift. He adjusted the covered gift at his side as he made sure to not damage it. His lips began whistling a giddy tune in anticipation of meeting her.

His headdress chimed in the wind even as his eyes glowed an ethereal green. Stepping out of the bounds of the school building, the air around him warped heavily. The background of snow and trees faded away as darkness spread around him. Pressing his hands against the darkness, a simple door appeared before him.

Using the back of his knuckles, he knocked the door and waited.

Teleute opened the door and greeted him with a smile, "Hello Harry. Come right in." Her hair was in a side ponytail held together by a simple dark ribbon.

"Thank you," he followed her inside her rather cozy home. The warmth inside her home made even his muscles relax or perhaps it was simply her presence that brought forth the ease and comfort.

He gently set aside his gift against the wall and removed his winter coat and hung it. For a moment he just absorbed the atmosphere and took in the pleasant scents tickling his nose. Following the scent he walked just behind Teleute who was preoccupied with the stove, "Smells delicious. What are you making?"

She smirked and playfully pushed him aside, "A little bit of this and a little bit of that. Now shoo, you're getting in the way."

In response, he chuckled and gently hugged her from behind. "I'll get out of your way." He moved away and began taking a seat at the table and removed his gloves. Harry eyed Teleute as she worked. It was captivating in a domestic sense.

The sight caused him to wonder about a life shared with her. It made the thought of living a mundane life like the Dursleys bearable. Now that he thought of it, she was going about the cooking in a rather uninspired way. Harry began to pull his wand out.

"None of that. I enjoy the use of my hands every now and again. You might want to get back to that. Too much of a good thing can still be harmful."

Her scolding merely got an unrepentant chuckle from him. Nevertheless, he returned his wand to his person.

Teleute wasn't too surprised by his reaction. If there was one she knew about him, it was his obsession with magic. Honestly, sometimes she wondered if his head hadn't been rotted out by magic. It was charmingly silly.

"Glad you find it amusing," Harry added with genuine cheer.

She snorted as she closed the pot and lowered the heat. Teleute then took off her rather large apron and set it aside. Her outfit was a solid burgundy dress with a tight bodice and a skirt that fitted at the hips and gradually widened towards the hem. The collar was white with slight accents of burgundy matching the dress' long sleeves. Teleute smoothened the creases from her clothes.

Every movement was watched intently by Harry. She was well aware of the effect she was having on him and relished in his undivided attention. She began to sway towards him nonchalantly. The playful subtle sway of her hips rocked with a rhythm that his head subconsciously followed.

She passed by his seat, allowing him to detect the faint scent of breadfruit coming from her body, and took a seat on her loveseat while gracefully crossing her legs. Smiling, she patted the empty space beside her invitingly. It was an invitation he gladly took.

Teleute then reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a case, "Merry Christmas, Harry."

"Thank you," Harry replied warmly. It mattered little what was in the case, the sentiment and effort was what always got to him. It was embarrassing how flustered gifts from Teleute made him, even after all this time.

Connected to the case was a tab. Looking over it, he saw that it was a label that addressed the packaged to him, but had no words following the from label. Instead of a name, the from label had a dark purple lipstick mark, undoubtedly from Teleute. Glancing upwards, he caught her giving him a wink. Teleute had succeeded in making a simple playful wink seem so sensual. Thoroughly distracted, he slowly opened the case and marveled in what laid within. Atop a piece of cloth made of fine material, which donned the symbol of an ankh, laid a pair of goggles of a make Harry had never seen before. The lenses were a sky blue that were surrounded by golden frames. Attached to the frames was a dark skirt and an equally dark strap. The frames of the lenses had smooth stitching that depicted a curved tail that seemed to originate from the lenses themselves, not unlike the markings that were beneath Teleute's right eye. Clock like pieces of machinery seemed to move within the goggle skirt and hum faintly.

Harry had to bite down on the childlike curiosity that the goggles instilled inside of him and chose to simply latch them on his head, just above his eyes.

"Like it?" she questioned knowingly.

"Love it," he corrected. "I have something for you too." He retrieved his gift and presented it to her.

"Wonder what this is?" her tone was equal parts amused and curious. Teleute gasped when she removed the protective covers. Warm tears formed and slowly fell from her eyes as she gazed fondly at the gift.

Harry reached out and tenderly held her hand. He too sometimes felt overwhelmed by the Raggedy Man's art. It could invoke powerful emotions in one self.

Beneath the cover was a portrait of a great and terrible snow beast hidden behind unnaturally tall trees. A raging snowstorm swallowed everything, save for the monstrous beast's sinister red eyes that seem to have a malignant life of its own. Everything touched by the creature's hands rotted away in frostbite, even the trees themselves. By the bottom right of portrait was the image of sword buried in discarded rags acting like a signature of some sort.

Teleute traced her fingers across the sword image as her tears intensified. "Thank you so much. Y-You don't know how much this means to me," she paused to catch her breath, "I can rest easier knowing this. How is he... the painter?"

"I think he has a lot things to work out, but he's trying," he explained as he squeezed her hand tighter, surprised by her interest in the Raggedy Man. Seeing how moved she was, he decided not to question her reaction, "If you want, I could..."

She shook her head before he could continue, "No, no, but thank you. Olethros will meet me when he is ready. This is his own journey and I won't get in the way."

Harry widened his eyes at the confirmation of the relationship between Teleute and the man he recognized as his favorite artist. He then spoke encouragingly, "I don't think he would ever see you as an obstruction."

She cleared her face before smiling mischievously, "Enough about him, let's talk about you. I just have to thank you for being so thoughtful."

"That's not necessary. It was a pleasure..." he began before she sealed his lips with a single finger.

"Don't be difficult," she asserted. Removing her finger, she pulled off Harry's glasses before she rested her hands on his chest, leaned in and took his earlobe between her lips and playfully tugged them downwards. She nearly giggled as she felt Harry freeze and flush deeply, an action that had been becoming more and more sparse. Gently she rubbed small circles with her tongue.

She could feel his heart pounding beneath her fingertips as he shivered. Hearing pleased sounds escaping his lips, she released her grip on his ear. Teleute pulled his face towards her and rested her forehead against his. Their gazes were locked on one another in tenderness.

Teleute pulled Harry into a deep kiss. Their lips pressed against each other's passionately, heat spreading from Harry to her. Her lips opened first and he followed suit. Her tongue caressed and guided his gently. As Harry familiarized himself to the kiss, Teleute felt his arms attempt to wrap around her waist. Allowing it, she dropped her hands from his chest and instead nestled her fingers in his hair as he brought them closer together.

Harry was the first to break the kiss to catch his breath, "Wow."

During this time, she kissed Harry on the lower side of his jaw. "Would you like to go for a round two?" she whispered playfully in his ear.

He nodded dumbly.

It was some time before their attention returned to the food.